


A Trust Betrayed

by tenaya



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Episode, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s02e15 One Door Closes, Feelings, M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 06:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3718510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenaya/pseuds/tenaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the blast hadn't interrupted Mack and Fitz in the server room?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short episode-based story where Fitz and Mack are allowed to talk about their feelings. Part two will be uploaded in a few days. Unbetaed. All comments welcomed, even corrections. :)

Alphonso Mackenzie heard the soft pad of sneakers come closer as they hurried to the door of the electronic server room. He pressed himself into space behind a bank of servers, their indicator lights casting a deep shadow for him to hide in. As he feared, it was Leo Fitz who hurried inside and immediately connected his computer tablet to the master panel. Mack hoped that Fitz would not be able to deduce where Bobbi had plugged in the thumb drive that was disabling The Playground’s defenses. Maybe if he took long enough to figure it out, the strike team would arrive and Mack wouldn’t have to stop his friend. With increasing dread, he watched as Fitz rapidly moved through a series of procedures and very quickly isolated the drawer that contained the thumb drive. When he heard Fitz mutter, “What the hell is that?” he knew his time was up. He didn’t want to confront Fitz; he didn’t want to see the betrayal in his eyes but that was exactly what was going to happen.

Mack slowly moved into the open, taking the middle of the aisle to block Fitz’s exit. The last thing he wanted was to have to overpower the smaller man if Fitz tried to run past him. “Fitz, don’t.” His voice was rough with dread.

His young friend froze. “Mack.” He slammed shut the server drawer he’d been investigating.

“I’m not going to hurt you, buddy. I would never hurt you. You know that.” 

Fitz backed up in nervous little jumps. He was trying hard not to panic and Mack felt something inside his chest break that he was causing the fear on Fitz’s face. 

“I just need you to trust me right now. Please,” Mack pleaded. He stepped forward, one slow and cautious step. “You don’t understand, Fitz. Where you’re standing is dangerous. The strike force is about to blast their way through that wall.”

Fitz shot a wide-eyed glance over his shoulder before he zeroed his focus back onto Mack. 

“You need to come over here, Fitz.” Mack held out a hand, palm up and inviting. “Come to me, buddy. Please trust me,” he begged. He inched forward another half a step. He was running out of time but he tried to project nothing but calm.

Fitz stared at Mack’s outstretched hand like it was a poisonous snake. He glanced down at his tool bag that was now closer to Mack than himself and swallowed hard. “You’re Hydra.”

“I’m not Hydra, Fitz. I’m S.H.I.E.L.D, the real S.H.I.E.L.D. Come on, take my hand so we can go where it’s safer.” Mack was close enough now to grab him but still he waited. 

Fitz glanced down to his hand and then back up to Mack’s face. The colorful lights from the electronics caught the extra shine in Fitz’s eyes as they started to glisten with tears. 

Mack knew his height intimidated people and this close to Fitz, he was towering over the smaller man, only adding to his fear. He could change that though. Mack knelt down on one knee. “Please,” he said, softly. “I know you think you can’t trust me, but you gotta know I would never hurt you.”

“I thought that about W-Ward right up to the point where he tried to kill me,” Fitz said. He blink, using the back of his hand to angrily wipe across his eyes. He took in a deep breath, then with an expression full of despair, he slipped his hand into Mack’s.

“Thank you, Fitz. Thank you, but we gotta move.” He stood up and slid his arm around Fitz’s back and urged him forward. “Just over here where the cabinets will protect us.”

Fitz was stiff and reluctant in his arms but allowed himself to be pulled forward. “Hydra wants me to work for them and they made it plain they’d use pain to force me. You could let me go; no one has to know you captured me.”

“I’m not Hydra, Fitz. You’ll see soon enough. The base is being taken right now. They’ll use the ICER gas through the ventilation system and then blast through that wall.” He sat them down in the space between the last bank of electronics and the door. He wrapped his arms around Fitz and tucked him against his chest. “You’re safe with me, Buddy,” Mack soothed, feeling small tremors course through his friend. 

“Please don’t lie to me as if I’m stupid. If they were S.H.I.E.L.D. you could have just asked Coulson to meet with them,” he said, his voice soft against Mack’s shirt. 

Overhead, movement caught Mack’s eye as a blue mist wafted out of the vent. “Coulson’s been compromised. There’s the ICER gas. It won’t be long now before that wall blows. Don’t be scared.” Holding tight to Fitz, he lay back, pulling Fitz on top of him before flipping towards the wall. Fitz now lay safely between himself and the wall and they were both out of the path of the blast and the strike team. 

Mack felt a little dizzy and knew the gas was taking effect. “Just relax. I’ll be there when you wake up.”

Mack both heard and felt the concussion of the blast. The air was filled with dust and he grunted as something hard hit his back. He tightened his grip on the warm, lax body beneath him as he felt consciousness slip away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More notes: I've tweaked a few things since I first posted it.

Mack awoke to the acrid smell of antiseptic and the low murmur of voices. His face was pressed against a cool, hard surface and when he opened his eyes, it was to see the bottom half of a white medical jacket on someone standing beside him.

He cleared his throat. “Hey.”

Jemma Simmons bent down until her face was even with Mack’s. “Back with us, Agent Mackenzie? If you wouldn’t mind, please stay still for a few moments more while I finish stitching this laceration over your trapezius.” Her tone was sharp and hard.

Resigned, Mack settled down to wait until she was done. He could feel her attitude, all bristles and restrained anger and a lot of it was directed at him. She straightened and resumed her work. She must have numbed the area before she started because he felt nothing at all, but with her in a mood like this, he’d have to check later to make sure she hadn’t stitched the words “Rat Bastard” into his skin.

“There,” she said, smoothing a bandage into place. “You’re fine to resume your normal duties of espionage and betrayal. Just remember to keep the dressing dry.”

He sat up and gingerly tested the arm for mobility as he scanned the lab. There were a lot of people he didn’t know who were working methodically to search the area. Jemma had turned her back on him as she sorted through the things she had used on him. Metal scissors and clamps were set carefully in the sink while wet and bloody sterile pads were thrown away. “Jemma. Where’s Fitz?”

She turned and gave him a smile that had way too many teeth. “Once he awoke from what could have been an overdose of a _very_ powerful tranquilizer that was administered in a _very_ haphazard way throughout this base, he requested to be allowed to go to his quarters and get clean of all the concrete dust and debris he was covered with from an explosion that he was _entirely_ too close to all the while he was _unconscious._ He was escorted there by a _guard_.” The last word was dripping with disgust.

Mack frowned. While he didn’t enjoy the tongue lashing, he was sure that if Fitz had been injured, she would have thrown that fact in there, too. “Thank you.”

She stepped forward. “You were lucky to have been injured. Because of that, you were removed from the server room quickly and they took Fitz with them simply because it was convenient to do so. It was a small room with very little ventilation and you would have both died from the ICER gas if you had remained there until the base was secured. Fitz has done _nothing_ to deserve being put at risk like that from people who claim to be S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Her anger was formidable but he was more shocked by her words. He thought they had taken every precaution in their plans but apparently there had been some errors in the math. He slipped off the table and held his hands out in surrender. “I’ll just get out of your hair.”

She didn’t bother hiding her anger now. “You do that,” she said and turned her back on him again.

He slipped out the door and headed towards the sleeping quarters. His back ached, especially if he tried to move his right arm backwards. He glanced down and noted that while his trousers were dusty and his shirt was gone, his chest and arms had been cleaned. Well, washing up could wait; he didn’t want to miss Fitz and let the guy stew in his emotions any longer than necessary. He had to try to explain his actions before their friendship was ruined. He turned down the hall that led to Fitz’s room and was surprised to see the door ajar.

He paused at the entrance. “Fitz?”

“He’s in the shower,” a strange male voice replied.

Mack shoved the door open and stepped inside. Fitz’s guard was leaning against the bathroom’s doorjamb and through that open doorway, Mack could see Fitz’s pale, slender form through the steam and frosted glass of the shower door. His back was to them as he balanced on one leg, lifting the other as he soaped up his calf and foot.

He swallowed drily and tore his gaze away from the enticing display; he was never going to earn the right to see that and more unless he got busy repairing the damage to their friendship first. “What the hell, man?” he growled, slapping the man’s arm so he’d take his eyes off of Fitz. “Give the man some privacy.”

“I had orders to keep him under observation at all times, sir.” The guard’s face was carefully blank of expression. “He’s to be considered a threat until he’s been debriefed.”

“Yeah, well, I got this. You’re relieved. Get outta here.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, but as he turned to leave, Mack thought he saw a smirk on the man’s face. He felt his anger rise and he followed the guard to the door and slammed it as soon as he passed through.

“I hear voices. Are you selling tickets now?” Fitz’s accent was thicker now, something that happened when the young Scotsman was under a lot of stress. “Oh. It’s you.”

Mack turned around. Fitz had his head tilted as he peeked around the door frame as he finished tucking the end of a large bath towel around his waist. He scowled at Mack and disappeared back into the room. Suddenly feeling awkward, Mack roamed about the room, the occasional flick of a towel or elbow was more proof than Mack needed that the engineer was busy drying himself off. He settled into a chair and picked at a tear in his jeans. “How are you feeling?” he said, raising his voice.

Fitz stormed into the room and picked up a change of clothes folded neatly on the dresser, the curls on his head a wild mess. His chest was rose tinted from the hot shower; the soft skin covering the gentle swell of his muscles. “Creeped out. The Storm Trooper told me I had to dress in here. Do you intend to insist on that, too?”

Mack leaned back in the chair, stunned. “No! Of course not.”

Fitz strode back into the bathroom and partially shut the door behind him. “Good, because the ‘real’ S.H.I.E.L.D. should run a background check on him, specifically looking for possible tendencies towards pedophilia. He was a right perv. Are all your mates of this quality?”

“Fitz, I know you’re angry. Will you give me a chance to explain? Please?”

The engineer slapped the door open and it banged into the wall as he strode out and dropped onto the bed. He was still working at the buttons on his shirt but his anger was causing him to fumble. Mack didn’t dare tell him he was one off on matching them up.

“Fitz—“

“—What, no ‘Turbo?’ No ‘Buddy?’” he interrupted. “No attempt to manipulate my emotions? You lied to me!” Fitz wasn’t so much angry as incandescent. “You took advantage of me when I was…when I was confused and, and lonely and vulnerable! I was nothing but an easy target to be used and you got all the intel you needed just by pretending to be my friend!”

Mack shook his head. “No, no, no. You have it completely wrong.”

“Oh? Do I? Did you not use me to get the ventilation shafts plans for the base? You used me because…because of my feelings for you.” Unable to sit any longer, Fitz stood up and would have walked out but Mack caught his hand.

“Please, please listen to me. Can you do that? Please?” He left the chair, pivoted and sat on the bed, gently tugging Fitz’s hand to encourage him to sit beside him. Finally, reluctantly, Fitz sat down but turned his face away in an effort to hide the tears trickling down his cheeks. “Fitz. I am sorry.” He cleared his throat, trying to dispel the tightness there. “I work for a S.H.I.E.L.D. run by Robert Gonzales and Anne Weaver among others. They believe that secrecy in the top level of S.H.I.E.L.D. is what allowed Hydra to infiltrate us. They want transparency in all levels of the organizations.” Fitz snorted in disbelieve. “Yeah, I know this wasn’t the best way to prove our intentions to you.”

Fitz sniffed and looked down at their hands. “You know, I used to hope that the first time we held hands it would be for an entirely different reason.”

Mack stared at their entwined fingers and sighed. “You know I feel the same way, right?”

Fitz huffed.

“I liked you from the start and I wanted to spend time with you. You’re brilliant and funny and I’ve held back from asking for more than friendship because I was waiting for you to finish healing. I needed this thing with Coulson to be behind us so I could be completely truthful with you.”

He leaned towards Fitz until their shoulders touched. “I’ve wanted you for months now.” His voice was lower, rough with yearning. “There’s a reason why in Puerto Rico I had no problem wailing on Bobbi, someone I’ve known for years and would give my life for, but never laid a hand on you.”

“I had a gun.”

“I didn’t care about the gun. I cared about you.”

Fitz was silent but because he was using his thumb to rub the back of Mack’s hand, Mack waited, needing to hear what the younger man was going to say now that Mack had declared his feelings.

“Does your S.H.I.E.L.D. believe as you do? That Skye and people like her are to be feared, locked away and studied?”

Mack’s frail hopes died. Apparently this was a deal breaker for Fitz. “Yes. They do.”

Fitz sighed and gently disentangled his fingers from Mack’s. “I’m very sorry to hear that. There’s no way I can stay here.”

Mack let his hands dangle between his knees and felt his sadness fill his soul. “You know Coulson has kept secrets from you. I think you’ll be surprised when you find out just what he’s been up to. It’s big, Fitz. I hope that once you fully understand what has been happening, you’ll change your mind. Maybe then we can….” He trailed off. How could he put into words what he wanted with Fitz, especially when it seemed impossible at this point?

Fitz’s smile was small but it was there. “I’ve seen many impossible things of late. Maybe you’ll be the one to change your mind.” He stood up and squared his shoulders.

“Fitz?”

“Yeah?”

“Before you go out there and give them a full dose of Scottish rebellion, you need to rebutton your shirt first.”

The engineer looked down at his shirt in surprise, and quickly worked at sorting out the buttons. “See what you do to me?” he muttered.

Mack got to his feet and moved in close. “I know you’re still angry with me but I have the feeling you’re gonna leave here. Would you do me the favor of letting me give you a hug before you go?”

Fitz's gaze lifted, pausing at the level of Mack’s biceps before tracking slowly across his chest.  The young man swallowed drily then looked up into Mack’s eyes and the mechanic did not need to lie to himself about the yearning and wistfulness he saw there.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I can do that.”

Mack enfolded him, both of his arms around Fitz’s back pressing the smaller man close. He burrowed his face into the damp, curly hair and just _was_ , feeling Fitz’s warmth, Fitz’s arms around his waist hugging him back. He wished this moment would never end, or barring that, that it was the first of many similar hugs, but he feared this would be his only chance to hold his friend close and show him how much he wanted him, how much he meant to him.

But the embrace couldn’t last forever and he felt Fitz shift as he started to move away. “You should probably run a comb through those curls before you go out there.”

“You’re just jealous since you’ve probably been bald since you were a toddler.” He pushed away and went back into the bathroom.

Mack leaned against the doorjamb. “Are we still friends?”

Fitz stopped his primping and stared at Mack via the mirror. “You lied to me, Mack. I want to trust you but I’ve been burned before. You’re on probation; that’s the best I can do.”

Mack nodded. “I can live with that. You mean a lot to me and I mean to earn back your trust and your friendship.”

Fitz smiled but it was sad and full of longing. “That would be nice.”

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depending on what happens on the show, there could be other chapters, but this is it for now. Thank you all for reading. Unbetaed; sorry for any mistakes I missed.


End file.
